Packaging



July 23, 1940.

Filed Jan. 6, '19s? 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

July 23, 1940. R, E, HANSON 2,209,200

PACKAGING Filed Jan. 6, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ef g 7:

INVENTOR;

Patented July 23, 1940 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE v 2 Claims. (01. 206-44) This invention relates to improvements in p in Heretofore it has been common practicefor large producers of edible products such as break- 5 fast foods or like commodities to enclose the product in an inner wrapper of moisture resisting material such as waxed paper, and also in an outer carton of cardboard or other semi-rigid material. With this method of packaging, the

edible product is maintained in a substantially air tight and moisture proof condition by the inner wrapper, and the product and inner wrapper are protected by the cardboard carton during transportation and handling. The main objection to this method of packaging is that the contents are concealed from view,.whereas it is highly advantageous that edible products such as cold breakfast foods be visible to the prospective customer.

This objection can of course be taken care of by using an entire inner wrapper of transparent material such as cellulose film or the like and by having a window in the cotton. However, the

I construction of an entire inner wrapper of this material would render'the finished package excessive in cost. Furthermore the handling on automatic wrapping machinery of inner wrappers formed entirely of material such as cellulose film presents difliculties, and it is further difficult to seal the overlapping ends and edges.

It is therefore an object of the present invention toprovide an improved package comprising a relatively inexpensive inner wrapper of moisture resisting material, and an outer carton of cardboard or the like wherein said parts are so-construoted as to cooperate with one another in maintainingthe commodity in an air tight and moistureproof condition while rendering the commodity clearly visible from the exterior of the closed carton.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a package as above described wherein the inner wrapper is formed of composite material including a transparent area and wherein the outer carton is formed with a window positioned for cooperation with the transparent area of the inner wrapper.

A more speclficobject of the invention is to provide a package wherein the inner wrapper is so formed that it may be out without waste from an elongated sheet of composite material, with the elongated sheet embodying a continuous strip of transparent material, said strip being so positioned on the elongated sheet as to cause the transparent area to be suitably positioned in the finished wrapper for cooperation with the carton window.

A further object of the invention is to provide a package as above described wherein the composite inner wrapper is formed by uniting over-. 5 lapping edges of transparent material such as cellulose film to edges of other less expensive moisture proof material such as waxed paper, the overlaps being so arranged that there are no leading overlapped edges to catch in the auto- 10 matic wrapping machinery. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a package as above described wherein the window in the carton may cooperate with pictorial matter on the carton such as an illustration of a 16 dish or the like so that the edible product viewed through the'window appears to be in the dish.

with the above and other objects in view the I invention consists of the improved package and all its parts and combinations as set forthin the 20 claims and all equivalents thereof. In the accompanying drawings illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention in which the same reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views: 25 Fig. l is a plan view of the inner side of an elongated strip of composite material showing how the wrappers are cut therefrom, the light lines indicating how each wrapper is subsequently folded by the folding machinery, and the heavier 30 lines indicating where the material is severed:

Fig. 2 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale showing a partially formed inner wrapper;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a completely formed inner wrapper with the commodity 35 therein;

Fig. 4-is a perspective view of the completed package;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view 1 through the front'portion of the inner wrapper; 40

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through the-front 'lower portion of the completed package;

- Fig. '7 is a plan view of an elongated sheet of composite material showing how a modified form 45 of inner wrapper may be cut therefrom;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the inner wrapper of the"modified form before the top has been closed; I 50 Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the closed inner wrapper'with the commodity therein;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the completed package; and

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view 55 on an enlarged scale through the lower front portion of the package.

' Referring more particularly to the drawings. the inner wrapper is preferably formed from an elongated sheet of composite material comprising strips l2, II and I4. The strips l2 and I3 may be of any desired material but are preferably i8 and l9- to facilitate the formation of 25 jacent edge of the material l3 as at I6. This union of the edges may be accomplished by the use of any suitable adhesive.

1 The composite sheet of wrapping material is then severed transversely along the lines I], and

the material is also preferably slit along the lines the bottom of the wrapper.

Sections are then folded in any suitable manner around the commodity to enclose the same.

This wrapping, however, is preferabl done-on automatic machinery, and as sho in Fig- 2 the'jcomposite material is folded the lines 20 and 2| to provide a front porti 22 and a rear portion 23, and also on the lines 24, 25, 26 and 21 to form overlapping sides, said overlapping sides being suitably sealed as shown inFig. 3, and the tongues 28 and 29 which are formed by the slits l8 and l9 being folded upwardly as shown in Fig. '3 and adhesively secured over the lower portions of the overlapping sides..-

In this type of wrapper it is apparent thatthe transparent material 14 extends transversely of the composite wrapper at the front thereof. The rear wall of the wrapper, it is to be noted, has no transparent area. but is formed entirely of the less'expensive material.

Due to the fact that when, the wrappers are being handled by the automatic wrapping ma chinery said wrappers are moved in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, it isimportant' that there be no leading overlapped edges to catch in the machinery. For this reason it is preferred to have the lower edge of the cellulose film extend underthe corresponding edge of the adjolned material as at 30 and to have the upper edge of the transparent material extend over the corresponding edge of the adjoining material as at' 31. Thus when the wrapping material is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, there is no danger of breaking the union at the overlapped edge portions. v In order to protect the inner wrapper and commodity during transportation and handling, which is essential whenever the packages are shipped substantial distances, the product is also enclosed in an outer carton 32 which is preferab'y formed of cardboard or other semi-rigid material. Said carton 32 is in general of conventional form but has its front wall provided with an aperture 33 forming a window. It is important to note that the position of the transparent strip II in Fig. 1 is such that the transparent area is properly positioned in' the finished carton behind the window 33. It is also important to note that the transparent area, of the finished inner wrapper is sufficiently large to permitsubstantial variation in the size, shapeand position of the window in the outer carton. Thus the same wrapping material may be used by various packers of edible products having outer cartons wherein the window is difierently positioned or shaped.

Referring; now more particularly to Figs. '7 to 11 inclusive, the wrapping snaterial is of somewhat modified formation and comprises strips 34, and- The strips 34 and, are preferably formed of relatively inexpensive material having moisture resisting qualities such as waxed paper, and the strip 36 is formed of transparent material such as the strip l4 shown in Fig. 1. These several strips are united at their overlapping edges by the use of an adhesive in the same manner as heretofore described, and the wrapping material is severed transversely on the lines 31 to form the material for individual wrappers. These individual wrappers are so folded on the lines 38, 39, 40 and 4| as to provide a wrapper wherein the transparent area extends throughout the height of the front wall as shown in Fig. 8.

This inner w. apper' may enclose the product in the manner shown in Fig. 9 and is adapted to be used in conjunction with an outer container 42 of cardboard or other semi-rigid material having This additional protection may or may not be employed in either form of the invention.

It is to be noted that the window 43 may cooperate with a pictorial illustration on the front of the carton, and in the carton shown in Fig. '10

'an aperture 43 in its front wall. It is to bev it is to be noted that the window coincides with the interior of an illustration 45 of a dish. Thus the edible product 46 within the inner wrapper which shows clearly through the transparent area '38 of the inner wrapper and-through the transparent'window 44 of the outer carton, appears to be directly in the dish. Various other effects can of course be worked out.

From the above it is apparent that a very economical package 'has been provided wherein the commodity is maintained in a-substantially air tight and moistur proof condition. by the inner wrapper and 'w erein the inner wrapper is formed with a transparent area which is so located as to cooperate with a window in the outer carton to provide a clear view of the product within. a

Although only two forms of the invention have been shown'and described, itis obvious that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and all of such changes are contemplated as may come withinthe scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1.. In a display package having an outer carton provided with a window opening in a wallthereof and an inner moisture proof wrapper folded to contain a commodity and to substantially conform to the shape of the carton, the improvementcharacterized by said inner wrapper com prising a composite three panel blank of sheet width of the front wall of prism inpredeter 7s mined location in respect to the window opening of the outer carton and through the width of the side walls carried by said front wall of, the prism, the rear wall of said prism being translucent and having side walls partially overlapping the aforesaid side wallscarried by the front wall of the prism, whereby to cover and protect the raw edges of the transparentportions of said first mentioned side walls and to dispose the transparent portion of the front wall in substantial registry with the window opening of the outer carton when the package is assembled.

2. In a package including a carton having a window opening in a wall thereof, and an inner wrapper adapted to be inserted within said carton and enclose a commodity to seal the same against moisture, the improvement character- 7 ized by said inner wrapper being formed of parallel strips of material united along adjacent strip being transparent and moisture resisting and adjacent strips being moisture resisting and translucent, the entire rear wall of the wrapper being composed of translucent material, said transparent strip forming a transparent area on an intermediate portion of the front wall of the wrapper and registrable with the window opening in the carton when the wrapper is inserted therein to render the commodity visible from the exterior, a foremost translucent strip being lapped over the adjacent edge of said transparent strip and the opposite edge or said transparent strip overlapping the adjacent edge of another translucent strip, whereby to insure against the presov'erlapping longitudinal edges, an intermediate ence of leading overlapping edges when the material is moved in one direction during the wrapping operation.

ROY E. HANSON. 

